Concussion Vital Signs Terminology

Concussion - A violent collision or shock; an injury to part of the body, most especially the brain, caused by a violent blow, followed by loss of function.

Neurocognitive - a term used to describe cognitive functions closely linked to the function of particular areas, neural pathways, or cortical networks in the brain.

Neuropsychology - A specialty of psychology concerned with the study of the relationships between the brain and behavior, including the use of psychological tests and assessment techniques to diagnose specific cognitive and behavioral deficits.

Norms or Normative - A statistical description of the test performance of a well-defined group that serves as a reference by which to gauge the performance of the other individuals who take the test

Percentile Scores - indicates the subject's test performance relative to that of the group on which the test was standardized. It records the percentage of this group whose scores were lower than that obtained by the subject

Raw Scores - Are the original testing results (data) from the athlete that has not been transformed by calculation.

Test Administrator - Persons who facilitate the process of having the subject take the assessment (e.g. athletic trainer, testing technician, school nurse, clinician, etc.).

Athlete Testing Login - LOGIN used for baseline and post-concussion testing of athletes.

Testing Session or Session - The act of the subject completing one or more tests in succession.

Valid Score - the application of proven methods to arrive at a true score.

Concussion Vital Signs® which is designed for student athletes, aligns to current sports concussion management guidelines. This scientifically based system, used as part of a baseline protocol and as needed a post-injury testing helps facilitate athlete evaluation and management.